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Please contact the Office of Admission at [email protected] or 508-793-2443 with any questions.

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T o select a campus tour time, please select the  Campus Visit event   for your desired date on the calendar on the right. Families can also register for a information session, if one is being offered, using the same  Campus Visit  event. If you are a school counselor, independent counselor, or CBO/agency counselor who is looking to sign up for a campus visit, please reach out to us at [email protected] .

Campus Tours

During the one-hour tour of campus, our welcoming tour guides will give you the inside scoop on topics ranging from declaring a major to their favorite meals served in Kimball. Learn more about academics and student life from someone who’s living the Holy Cross experience.

On-Campus Information Session

Information Sessions are conducted by an admission counselor, who will give a 30-minute presentation, focusing on the application process and any other topics not covered during the campus tour.

July Advisory Days

On Tuesdays and Thursdays in July from 1:30 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. (excluding Tuesday, July 2 and Thursday, July 4) the Admission Staff will be offering July Advisory Days which consist of a campus information session and tour, and an essay writing and interviewing skills workshops for rising juniors and seniors. July Advisory Day consists of the following: 1:30 p.m. - Holy Cross Information Session 2:00 p.m. - Campus Tour 3:00 p.m. - Essay Writing and Interviewing Skills Workshop

Students only need to sign up for the July Advisory Day event to be a part of all three components of July Advisory Day and do not need to sign up for additional tours or information sessions. Back to the top --> Back to the top

Virtual Offerings

Virtual information sessions.

Admission counselors will give 30-minute presentations, highlighting key aspects of the College and focusing on the application process. Virtual information sessions will be offered on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 3:00 p.m. ET throughout June, Mondays and Wednesdays at 3:00 p.m. ET throughout July, and Tuesdays and Thursdays at 3:00 p.m. ET through August until Thursday, August 29 excluding Thursday, June 6, Monday, July 1 and Wednesday, July 3.  Back to the top --> Back to the top

First-Year Student Evaluative Interviews

Interviews are available until Friday, December 6, 2024 for rising seniors. Students applying for Fall 2025 are invited to make an appointment to join us for a one-on-one interview. Interviews are a highly encouraged part of the application process. Students can interview before or after an application is submitted. * Interviews are offered  virtually via Zoom  and in-person (on-campus).  Only virtual options are available on the sign-up calendar.  Both interview formats are weighed the same by the admission committee.  To request an in-person interview appointment, please contact Pat McKeen ( [email protected] ).  **Fall interview dates are not yet available. The Admission Office will be posting more interview slots in August so please check back if you do not see availability for an interview that works with your schedule.

Transfer Interviews

Interviews are no longer available for transfer applicants for the Fall of 2024. Students who did not get to schedule an interview may submit the optional Holy Cross Response, which can be found on the Applicant Portal. Alternatively, students may submit an optional written statement which can be emailed directly to [email protected] . Back to the top

First-Year Virtual Interviews

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Admission: Not Impossible

Admissions officers blog about search and application process

The Future is Now for Campus Tours

A few weeks ago, we began offering campus tours and like many colleges, our tours look a bit different from the past.  We’re keeping tour groups intentionally small and spending as much time outside as possible.   In addition, just this week, Holy Cross was featured in an article by Inside Higher Education about the future of the campus tour.  

What an exciting moment it was to once again welcome prospective students and their families to our campus. As excited as our guests have been, our tour guides have been equally as excited to show off their school, their campus and to talk about their experience as a Holy Cross student.  

There was so much excitement, in fact, that all the available tours for the summer quickly booked.  Recently, we’ve been able to add more tour spaces and there’s now availability throughout the rest of the summer.

With the return of visitors, I am reminded of a blog entry I wrote 13 years ago about campus tours as some of it bears repeating.  On college campuses, too often we see a family pour out of their car, run to catch the tour, the information session and then sprint back to the car to make it to the next campus for the next tour and information session.

I ’m here today to call upon everyone just to slow down.

Seriously – slow down.

Billy Collins ‘63 (U.S. Poet Laureate, 2001-2003) said the following about education:

Although teaching and learning themselves have been motorized by the hyper-pace of information, it is good to remember that the true tempo of education has always involved a deceleration. . . .  a shift from the urgencies and demands of the world to the more leisurely pace of discussion, the cadence of study and reflection, the seeming stop-time of engrossed thought.

When visiting colleges this summer, instead of sprinting from car to tour to info session to car, I want to encourage families to simply slow down.  Schedule your visits so there’s enough time to linger, to truly experience a college campus.  

The most valuable insight from a college visit often comes when you’re not looking for it – a door held for you when you least expect it; the friendly smile from a professor who passes you on the sidewalk; or a conversation between students you overhear at the campus coffee shop.  You’ll only notice these if your pace is leisurely and you just might experience the best part of education – the deliberate and delightful deceleration.

~Drew Carter | Deputy Director of Admission

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College of the Holy Cross Transfers: 2024 Requirements, Dates, GPAs & More

When is the best time to visit college of the holy cross.

Visiting College of the Holy Cross depends on a number of factors, including the season, your schedule, and a lot of uncontrollable variables. We recommend you visit College of the Holy Cross twice if you’re serious about enrolling – at least one visit should be when students are on campus and school is in session. Be sure to take note of the town of Worcester as well. Remember that Worcester is also catering to 2698 students, so think critically about whether the community would feel too big or too small for your personal liking.

Where do families stay when they visit College of the Holy Cross?

The College of the Holy Cross admissions office likely has a list of accommodations they recommend. In addition to that list, consult the CampusReel VR feature to explore hotels nearby in Worcester. For your convenience, below is a list of hotels to consider and that you can also preview in CampusReel VR.

• Quality Inn & Suites at College of the Holy Cross
• AC Hotel by Marriott Worcester at College of the Holy Cross
• Maple Manor Hotel at College of the Holy Cross
• Hilton Garden Inn Worcester at College of the Holy Cross
• Courtyard by Marriott Worcester at College of the Holy Cross
• Residence Inn by Marriott Worcester at College of the Holy Cross
• Comfort Inn Auburn-Worcester at College of the Holy Cross
• Holiday Inn Express & Suites Auburn at College of the Holy Cross
• Hampton Inn & Suites Worcester at College of the Holy Cross
• Worcester City Motel at College of the Holy Cross
• Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott Worcester Auburn at College of the Holy Cross
• Econo Lodge at College of the Holy Cross
• La Quinta Inn Auburn Worcester at College of the Holy Cross
• Chateau du Lac B and B LLC at College of the Holy Cross
• Auburn Motel at College of the Holy Cross
• Homewood Suites by Hilton Worcester at College of the Holy Cross
• Beechwood Hotel at College of the Holy Cross
• Madison condominium at College of the Holy Cross

What do families do in Worcester when they visit College of the Holy Cross?

It depends but there are a variety of activities and things to do in and around Worcester. We recommend using the virtual immersion tab on CampusReel to take a tour at College of the Holy Cross and see for yourself how the student make use of Worcester.

What buildings should I look at when I visit College of the Holy Cross?

For your convenience, below is a list of all buildings that you can visit from CampusReel. We encourage you to compare you experience of the buildings on CampusReel with your in-person visit if you decide to take one.

• 1 College St at College of the Holy Cross
• Dinand Library at College of the Holy Cross
• Kimball Hall at College of the Holy Cross
• Brooks Hall at College of the Holy Cross
• Stein Hall at College of the Holy Cross
• St. Joseph's Chapel at College of the Holy Cross
• Hanselman Hall at College of the Holy Cross
• Holy Cross, Hogan Campus Center Parking Lot at College of the Holy Cross
• College of the Holy Cross at College of the Holy Cross
• Campion House at College of the Holy Cross
• Smith Labs at College of the Holy Cross
• Hogan Campus Center at College of the Holy Cross
• Hanover Insurance Park at Fitton Field at College of the Holy Cross

Check out these related virtual tours:

• Visit to Wesleyan University
• Visit to Brandeis University
• Visit to Emerson College
• Visit to Smith College
• Visit to Wellesley College

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Holy Cross Virtual Tour

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Holy Cross College Virtual Tour

Are you applying to holy cross college explore the campus using the virtual tour below..

Virtual tours are a great way to refresh your memory or to preview an on-site tour of Holy Cross College.

Why a Virtual Tour?

At the beginning of your college search, a virtual tour can be a beneficial tool to explore the campus before your visit. When you do visit the campus, be sure to talk to current students about their experiences. A student perspective is a helpful way to gauge your future experience when attending Holy Cross College. Already took an on-campus tour? It's inevitable. All of your college tours will blend, and you might forget the appearance of Holy Cross College's library, dorms, or cafeteria. Use the virtual tour to jog your memory! With the interactive mapping tool below you can even explore the area surrounding the campus.

Use the resources below to start your virtual tour.

Using the Map

Click and drag the little orange person to a location on the map. Locations with panoramas appear as blue lines or blue dots when moving the orange person. The blue dots are panoramic views that you may swivel. The blue lines are paths that you can navigate along.

Panoramic View

You can "pan" or "swivel" the camera around by clicking on the image and dragging your mouse or finger. If you see a white arrow on the picture, you can click or tap on it to move in the direction of the arrow. This will also update the location of the little orange person on the map so you can get a better sense of where you are and what direction you are facing.

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In This Section

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Student-Led Virtual Tour

Tune in to a previously recorded, student-led tour of campus on YouTube on April 14 at 6:30 p.m. ET. We’ll be live in the chat to answer your questions! Join here »

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• Holy Cross Chapel Tour

Holy Cross Chapel can be found in the Parish Ministries Building. This building was built in 1928 as the convent for the Sisters of St. Dominic who staffed both the St. Agnes Elementary School and High School.

In 2000 the convent, no longer needed by the nuns of the parish who had found alternate housing, underwent a major renovation.

As part of this renovation, which converted the first two floors for use by the many parish ministries, the chapel was restored to its original grandeur. The chapel was renamed the Chapel of the Holy Cross in honor of the Amityville Sisters of St. Dominic, Congregation of the Holy Cross.

Although small in size, with seating for approximately 50 people, it is a gem within the cathedral complex. Today it is used for Eucharistic Adoration, special masses and prayer services.

The original marble altar with wooden screen and tabernacle rests against the back wall on a raised platform of the sanctuary. The tabernacle is surmounted by a bronze crucifix covered by an ornate canopy.

The entire sanctuary is surrounded with beautiful raised oak paneling that is similar to the paneling found in the Blessed Sacrament Chapel in the Cathedral.

Above the altar is a stained glass window showing the Agony in the Garden modeled after the painting Christ in Gethsemane by E. Goodman.

Angels are a prominent feature of Holy Cross Chapel. Angels appear in paintings, statues and stained glass windows within the chapel.

Paintings of angels can be found on either side of the chapel surrounded by oak paneling.

Two angels carved in wood stand guard on either side of the crucifix atop the tabernacle. The angel Gabriel visits Mary in a stained glass version of the Annunciation.

Oil paintings of angels adorn the ceiling above the stained glass windows that line the nave of the chapel as well as on either side of the sanctuary.

Several paintings can be found in the chapel. Like the Stations of the Cross these paintings are oil on canvas affixed to oak paneling. Each is framed in oak and are topped by a wooden canopy. Colorful and decorative tiles surround the framing. The two shown here are located at the rear of the chapel.

The first shows St. Dominic at the foot of a crucifix. The second shows St. Dominic kneeling in front of the Blessed Mother who is holding the baby Jesus. St. Catherine of Siena is seen standing nearby.

The arched ceiling high above the floor of the chapel is framed in oak. Smaller decorated rectangle panels run along the sides of the arch. The center panel which runs the length of the chapel’s nave features a cross. A decorative pattern that compliments the side panels fills the perimeter of the main section.

Sanctuary Arch

The entrance to the sanctuary is surrounded by a two story arch, of which the inside top edge is embellished with an intricate plaster design.

A highly decorated beam topped with a cross spans the arch. The Latin phrase “Sursum Corda” in gold lettering can be found on the front of the beam. This phrase translates into “Lift up your hearts” and is part of the Preface to the Eucharistic Prayer.

Stained Glass Windows

Although small in size, Holy Cross Chapel has magnificent stained glass windows on both sides of the chapel. A smaller window showing the Agony in the Garden graces the wall behind the altar. The larger side windows show scenes from the Joyous, Sorrowful, and Glorious Mysteries of the Rosary.

Annunciation

Crucifixion

Resurrection

(Descent of the Holy Spirit)

Stations of the Cross

The Stations of the Cross are found on the walls of the chapel’s nave. Each of the stations is an oil painting on canvas affixed to the oak paneling that lines the chapel.

Several of these stations required extensive restoration work during the renovations to the Ministries Building.

'Holy Cross, South High pair up to create virtual tour for Worcester Art Museum'

Worcester Mag

In a Worcester Mag feature story, Amanda Luyster , a lecturer in visual arts at the College of the Holy Cross, discussed her Introduction to the Visual Arts course, through which her students collaborated with Worcester’s South High School to produce a virtual tour of selected pieces at the Worcester Art Museum for smartphones , tablets and computers. “I wanted to make my art history classes feel more grounded in the ‘real world,’” said Luyster . “I liked the idea that college students could learn from the people and resources around them, and I thought that community-based learning would be a good way to approach and examine the relevancy of art in the world today.” In the tour, titled ARTful Bodies, the students write about, make artwork about, and talk about art objects depicting the body and how those artworks seem connected to (or distant from) their own lives. “We can all relate to the images of the human body in which we inhabit,” explained Luyster . The course, offered through the College’s Donelan Office of Community-Based Learning , gave Holy Cross students an opportunity to immerse themselves in the community, exposed high school students to college life, and helped all involved to appreciate art more deeply.

• Read the story in Worcester Mag

This "Holy Cross in the News" item by David Cotrone '13.

More Stories

The Day I Met The Pope

"This Masterpiece": St. Joseph Memorial Chapel at 100

Bryce DuBois Speaks For The Fish, The Birds And The Humans

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Some visitors to Israel have a new stop on their tours: Hamas’ destruction in the south

A group of Israelis on an educational tour visit the home of the Siman Tov family on Friday, June 21, 2024. The parents and three children were killed and their home was torched by Hamas militants on the Oct. 7 attack on Israel, in Kibbutz Nir Oz in southern Israel. A new kind of tourism has emerged in Israel in the months since Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack. For celebrities, politicians, influencers and others, no trip is complete without a somber visit to the devastated south that absorbed the brunt of the assault near the border with Gaza. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)

A group of Israelis visit a damaged house following the Oct. 7 Hamas militants attack on Israel in Kibbutz Beeri, southern Israel, on Friday, Jan. 28, 2024. A new kind of tourism has emerged in Israel in the months since Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack. For celebrities, politicians, influencers and others, no trip is complete without a somber visit to the devastated south that absorbed the brunt of the assault near the border with Gaza. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)

Israeli soldiers watch a virtual tour of the destruction of the aftermath of the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel near the site of the Tribe of Nova music festival, where at least 364 people were killed and abducted near Kibbutz Re’im, southern Israel, Thursday, May 30, 2024. A new kind of tourism has emerged in Israel in the months since Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack. For celebrities, politicians, influencers and others, no trip is complete without a somber visit to the devastated south that absorbed the brunt of the assault near the border with Gaza. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)

An Israeli reservist poses for a picture with a tourist from Mexico, who is holding the soldier’s M16 rifle, at the site of the Tribe of Nova music festival, where at least 364 people were killed and abducted during the Hamas attack on Oct. 7, near Kibbutz Re’im, southern Israel on Thursday, June 20, 2024. A new kind of tourism has emerged in Israel in the months since Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack. For celebrities, politicians, influencers and others, no trip is complete without a somber visit to the devastated south that absorbed the brunt of the assault near the border with Gaza. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)

A group of Israelis on an educational tour visit a house that was torched by Hamas militants on the Oct. 7 attack on Israel in Kibbutz Nir Oz, on Friday, June 21, 2024. A new kind of tourism has emerged in Israel in the months since Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack. For celebrities, politicians, influencers and others, no trip is complete without a somber visit to the devastated south that absorbed the brunt of the assault near the border with Gaza. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)

People look at the Gaza Strip through binoculars from an observation point in the town of Sderot, southern Israel, on Thursday, June 20, 2024. A new kind of tourism has emerged in Israel in the months since Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack. For celebrities, politicians, influencers and others, no trip is complete without a somber visit to the devastated south that absorbed the brunt of the assault near the border with Gaza. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)

FILE - Danny Danon, a member of the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, left, and Nikki Haley, former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, visit a home torched by Hamas in Kibbutz Nir Oz in southern Israel, Monday, May 27, 2024. A new kind of tourism has emerged in Israel in the months since Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack. For celebrities, politicians, influencers and others, no trip is complete without a somber visit to the devastated south that absorbed the brunt of the assault near the border with Gaza. (AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo, File)

A woman stands next to photos of people killed and taken captive by Hamas militants during their violent rampage through the Nova music festival in southern Israel, which are displayed at the site of the event to commemorate the Oct. 7, massacre near Kibbutz Re’im on Thursday, June 20, 2024. A new kind of tourism has emerged in Israel in the months since Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack. For celebrities, politicians, influencers and others, no trip is complete without a somber visit to the devastated south that absorbed the brunt of the assault near the border with Gaza. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)

Israeli soldiers look at pictures of revelers killed on Oct. 7, 2023 at the Nova music festival by Hamas militants during a cross-border attack, as they visit the site in Re’im, southern Israel near the Gaza border, Thursday, Jan. 28, 2024. A new kind of tourism has emerged in Israel in the months since Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack. For celebrities, politicians, influencers and others, no trip is complete without a somber visit to the devastated south that absorbed the brunt of the assault near the border with Gaza. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)

A woman stands next to a shelter at the site of the Tribe of Nova music festival, where at least 364 people were killed and abducted during the Hamas attack on Oct. 7, near Kibbutz Re’im on Thursday, June 20, 2024. A new kind of tourism has emerged in Israel in the months since Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack. For celebrities, politicians, influencers and others, no trip is complete without a somber visit to the devastated south that absorbed the brunt of the assault near the border with Gaza. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)

A group of Israelis on an educational tour visit the dining hall that was damaged during the Oct. 7, Hamas attack on Israel in Kibbutz Nir Oz, on Friday, June 21, 2024. A new kind of tourism has emerged in Israel in the months since Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack. For celebrities, politicians, influencers and others, no trip is complete without a somber visit to the devastated south that absorbed the brunt of the assault near the border with Gaza. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)

People look at the Gaza Strip from an observation point in the town of Sderot, southern Israel, on Thursday, June 20, 2024. A new kind of tourism has emerged in Israel in the months since Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack. For celebrities, politicians, influencers and others, no trip is complete without a somber visit to the devastated south that absorbed the brunt of the assault near the border with Gaza. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)

Ultra-Orthodox Jews from central Israel visit a bomb shelter where Israelis were killed during the Oct. 7 Hamas militants attack on Israel, near Kibbutz Beeri, southern Israel, on Friday, June 21, 2024. A new kind of tourism has emerged in Israel in the months since Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack. For celebrities, politicians, influencers and others, no trip is complete without a somber visit to the devastated south that absorbed the brunt of the assault near the border with Gaza. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)

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KIBBUTZ NIR OZ, Israel (AP) — A new kind of tourism has emerged in Israel in the months since Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack. For celebrities, politicians, influencers and others, no trip is complete without a somber visit to the devastated south that absorbed the brunt of the assault near the border with Gaza .

Jerry Seinfeld, Elon Musk , Michael Douglas, former presidential candidate Nikki Haley , and Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner are a few who have visited, at times posing for photos in front of burned-out homes. Many Israelis, including soldiers and security officials, are also visiting on organized trips.

“It’s our personal story, but it’s also the story of all of the state of Israel,” said Irit Lahav, spokeswoman for Kibbutz Nir Oz, who gives many of the tours.

A quarter of the approximately 400 Nir Oz residents fell victim to the attack. Hamas militants killed more than 20 and kidnapped over 80. In the dining hall, a wall of post office boxes is plastered with stickers — red for killed, black for kidnapped, blue for released.

While it’s uncomfortable to open the community to visitors, she said it’s important for people to “come here and smell the burned smell of death, to imagine your friends or parents here.”

Hamas militants killed around 1,200 people as they rampaged through southern Israel, and kidnapped around 250. Health officials in Hamas-run Gaza say more than 37,000 Palestinians have been killed in the war that followed.

Prior to Oct. 7, Lahav ran a tourism company. Now she has turned those itinerary-building skills to the kibbutz where she grew up. Her tour includes the spot in the fence where Hamas militants stormed the kibbutz, along with small details that humanize the scale of destruction, like the candy eggs that melted when the general store was torched.

Many of the kibbutzim and towns that experienced the worst destruction are closed to the public, accessible only via organized tours like those for dignitaries or celebrities, or by invitation from a resident.

Nir Oz decided that the guides must be residents. Rena Bazar, who lives with most of the community in temporary housing elsewhere, is among those giving tours.

At first, it was difficult to return to Nir Oz. She didn’t like the idea of strangers on the lawns and in the dining hall with its bullet-riddled windows. But eventually, she understood the importance of helping visitors understand not just what happened, but also what life had been like before Oct. 7.

“I want to make it less about the combat and more about the personal stories of people who were there,” Bazar said.

For visiting dignitaries and VIPs, trips to Israel have long included stops at famous religious or cultural sites, such as the Western Wall, Masada, the Sea of Galilee or the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, and the national Holocaust memorial, Yad Vashem. The visits to the battered kibbutzim and border towns are the latest way to build support and solidarity with Israel’s allies abroad.

Other parts of southern Israel are open to the public and encouraging visitors — both foreigners and Israelis from elsewhere.

The city of Sderot runs “resilience tours,” connecting groups with survivors who share their memories of Oct. 7 or highlight cultural or culinary offerings. In contrast to the hardest-hit kibbutzim like Nir Oz, most of Sderot’s residents have returned.

Hen Cohen, the city’s tourism director, estimated that about 200,000 visitors have come during the first half of 2024, compared with 100,000 total in a normal year. Most come via solidarity missions from abroad or are local visitors such as soldiers and police officers on educational tours.

Birthright Israel, an organization that provides 10-day free trips to Israel for Jewish Americans, said that nearly all of the 13,500 participants expected this summer will visit Sderot and the site of the Nova music festival, where at least 364 people died. These visits provide an economic and morale boost to residents, Cohen said.

The Sderot police station, where 10 officers were killed on Oct. 7 in a standoff that left the station in ruins, is a main attraction. Visitors stop at the local museum, and watch security footage of what happened on Oct. 7, then walk to the empty lot where the police station stood. Twisted metal remains. Israeli flags flutter in the wind. A sign says a memorial will be built there.

“In this dark hour, I wanted to do my part to make sure the people of Israel know that the people of the United States are with you,” former U.S. Vice President Mike Pence said while visiting the site. Seinfeld later cried while talking about his own visit to a kibbutz, describing it as “the most powerful experience” of his life.

Zehava Ben Zaken, a lifelong Sderot resident, said it has taken time to adjust to seeing visitors every time she walks by. “I’m happy they come to see this place, so they can understand and stand with us,” she said.

Hearing the booms from Gaza a few kilometers (miles) away, she hoped that visitors can finally understand Sderot’s precarious security situation. “We’re totally broken,” she said.

South of Sderot, the site of the Nova music festival has become a pilgrimage site for hundreds of visitors per day. Photos of victims are arranged around what had been the main stage. Loved ones have left candles, sculptures, photos and other mementos.

Standing there helped her understand the enormity of loss of life, said Naomi Hanan, a medical student from San Francisco. “It’s right in front of your face and there’s no denying or ignoring what you’ve been hearing or seeing through the media,” she said.

In a eucalyptus grove near the site, an organization called Triumph of the Spirit offers virtual reality tours of three kibbutzim, including Nir Oz. The tours are currently only open to soldiers on official educational visits, but an English version will be available in the coming weeks for international tourists.

“I feel like I’m in Fortnite!” one soldier said as he slipped on the headset, then went silent as images of destruction appeared.

The videos were created by Miriam Cohen and Chani Kopolovich, who had created such tours of Auschwitz for a Holocaust education experience for people who don’t travel to Poland.

“We’ve made it accessible to go on this tour without damaging peoples’ privacy,” said Pinchas Tosig, who runs the tent and has 300 to 700 soldiers visit per day.

Some residents of southern Israel are looking beyond the visitors to the future.

In the coming weeks, Nir Oz will start demolishing some buildings to make way for new construction. Residents wonder how to preserve what happened while making space for new lives. Some say part of the destruction should remain. Others don’t want reminders — or visitors.

On one tour, Bazar pointed out the safe room where she spent hours hiding on Oct. 7. Her home was mostly spared. Others were burned. She doesn’t want the destruction to remain inside Nir Oz and hopes any future memorial will be elsewhere.

“I don’t want any child to be impacted by the ruins,” she said. “Our cemetery is full. Isn’t that memorial enough?”

Follow AP’s coverage of the war in Gaza at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war